With trips to India, Argentina and now Britain, he is more like an environmental ambassador, crusading to end global warming.

If it sounds strange that a mayor has set his sights on climate change, it is. Most Utah mayors limit their scope to planning, public safety and economic development.

While some community activists like that Anderson's jaunts are raising Salt Lake City's profile, others question his priorities. They want their mayor to spend his time and energy on issues closer to home.

"He gravitates to those areas where he can get a lot of attention. I'd prefer a mayor who was more focused on issues of more immediate concern to the neighborhoods," said Jim Webster, head of the east-bench

Yalecrest Community Council. "There's an awful lot of things falling through the cracks here on the home front."

Those include environmental issues, such as protecting open space in his neighborhood and allowing people to use untreated water on their lawns, Webster said.

Helen Peters, a community activist from Sugar House, has other priorities: upgrading the city's aging infrastructure, enticing people to move back to the city, filling Main Street storefronts. "The global warming issue is very important. At the same time, we're a local municipality that has a lot of challenges on its own. We need to address those before we step out into a global platform."

Anderson is in London this week to prepare for June's G-8 summit, which will focus on climate change. He declined to be interviewed for this story Friday, the same day Al Franken interviewed him about global warming on the radio show "Air America."

By June, Anderson will have taken five trips in seven months to speak about Salt Lake City's environmental efforts. His spokeswoman, Deeda Seed, said all of the trips were paid for by the sponsoring groups, which include other governments, and the mayor hasn't sought out the assignments.

"It's amazing that these other communities are paying attention to us," she said. "It also helps to put Salt Lake City on the map as a city that is progressive with regard to environmental issues. This is probably the first time in the history of our city that people have ever thought about us this way."

Jilene Whitby, chairwoman of the Fairpark Community Council, said she often disagrees with the mayor but is proud he represents the city on a world stage.

Sarah Wright, executive director of Utah Clean Energy, argues global warming is very much a local issue. Rising temperatures threaten the ski industry, she said.

"If we don't have water in 50 years, that's going to be pretty close to home. When we think of protecting our air quality . . . that's really about about protecting our families, creating a future for our families and grandchildren."

Seed said Anderson is "stepping into a leadership vacuum" left by President Bush. If the president were more environmentally conscientious, Anderson probably wouldn't be in London, she said.

"He is fighting with every ounce of energy he has to protect the environment in our city, in our state and to get others to do the same," she said.

City Council members, who frequently block Anderson's initiatives, aren't concerned, mostly because city taxpayers aren't funding the trips. "It's his passion," Councilwoman Jill Remington Love said.

But did city voters elect him to fill such a role? They do like him speaking out on controversial issues, including the environment, said pollster Dan Jones.

He was re-elected after suing over the proposed Legacy Highway, and a poll Jones conducted this month for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV gave him high approval ratings in the city even after Anderson enraged Davis County with his comments about commuting.

Jones suspects Anderson won't seek a third term in 2007. The mayor hasn't been raising money, and Seed said he remains undecided about running. But she said he isn't angling for a future job through these climate conferences.

"He's really thinking about human rights work, not environmental work," she said.

First things first, Webster said.

"He's a kind of a guy that can do a lot of good if he were to take care of the issues that are at hand, then pursue a larger agenda. I'm not sure [the city] is where his head is anymore."

hmay@sltrib.com

What Salt Lake City has done to reduce greenhouse gases

Purchased five three-wheeled parking-enforcement vehicles that use less gasoline.

Removed 35 SUVs from the city fleet and replaced them with smaller sedans or pickups.

Acquired 89 compressed natural-gas vehicles, including shuttle buses at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Installed devices to encourage walking - from orange flags to streetlight countdown timers.

Added 14 miles of bike lanes and 45 downtown bike racks in the past four years.

Provided three bicycles for city employees to use when they travel to meetings.

Started offering 90-gallon recycling bins to residents and businesses.

Recovered methane gas at the landfill.

Converted 1,630 traffic lights and all of the bulbs in the City-County Building to be energy-efficient.

Started a wind-power program (4,426 residents and 110 businesses participate).

Launched a program to encourage businesses to conserve energy.